Kerf-cutting mining machine



April 28;, 1942. QT, E PR Y 2,281,382

KERI -CUTTING MINING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 7% ME pr QQRM ATT RNEY April 28, 1942. T. E. PRAY KERF-CUTTING MINING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 prv xiii lwvemoa BY 7710171055 wag.

ATTORNEY April 28, 1942.

T. E. PRAY KERF-CUTTING MINING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 28, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE 2,281,382 I KEN-CUTTING MINING MACHINE Thomas E. Pray, Chicago, 111., assignor to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application September 26, 1940, Serial No. 358,509

Claims.

This invention relates to kerf-cutting mining machines, and more particularly to top-cutting machines which are fed along the working face of the mine by means of flexible cables or the like, as in the room and pillar system of coal mining.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved machine of the character described, wherein the cutter bar is disposed for cutting in horizontal levels adjacent the top of the machine, and wherein the cuttings may be carried rearwardly and discharged over the top of the machine body.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention with an end portion of the cutter bar broken away, and with the telescopic cuttings collecting chute in extended position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the machine shown in Figure 1, with an intermediate portion of the machine body omitted, and with parts broken away to show certain portions in section;

Figure'3 is a detail view in longitudinal section showing the front end of the machine,'drawn to a larger scale than Figure 2, and with an intermediate portion of the cutter bar and collector chute omitted;

Figure 4 is a detail view in transverse section taken on line 4-4 'of Figures 2 and 3, drawn to the same'scale as Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a detail view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4; I

Figure 6 is a rear view of the machine, with the discharge conveyer shown in section;

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail section of the cutter bar and collector chute, taken on line 11 of Figure 2; and

Figure 8 is a detail section taken on line 8-8 of Figure 2.

Referring now in general to the features of the machine shown in the drawings, the machine body In is slidable on the mine bottom, and comprises a motor in a casing I I, flexible feeding mechanism 12 at the rear of saidmotor, and cutter mechanism l3 disposed forwardly of said motor. The motor casing and flexible feeding mechanism shown herein are of the same construction as heretofore employed in certain kerf-cutting machines of the room and pillar type, and include a pair of-rope-winding drums l4, l4 driven by the motor through suitable reduction gearing, and having control devices for maneuvering the machine as a Whole over the mine floor in the usual manner.

- Referring-now to details of the cutter mechanism at. the front end of the motor, a cutter bar l5, carrying a cutter chain N5 of the usual form, is horizontally supported at its rear end on an elevating frame-indicated generally at H. Said elevating frame is adjustable vertically with respect to a supporting frame I8 by suitable means including a pair of upright guide members l9, l9 projecting at opposite sides of said supporting frame and extending upwardly therefrom, which engage flanges 20, 2E! projecting at opposite sides of said elevating frame and extending downwardly therefrom.

The supporting frame I8 assumes the general form of a casing, including a bottom wall 23 in horizontal ground-engaging alignment with the bottom of the motor casing l I, and with upright side walls 24, front wall 25, and rear wall 26, designed to enclose a part of the cutter chain drive gearing. The rear wall 25 of said supporting frame is bolted or otherwise secured to the front wall ofthe motor casing in any suitable manner.

The cutter chain is driven by a sprocket 3D fixed .on a sleeve 3| extending downwardly through the elevating frame and suitably journaled therein, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. A shaft 32 is splined in the lower end of the sleeve 3| and extends downwardly into a sleeve 33 journaled in the supporting frame Hi. In the form shown, journal bearings 3 3 and 35 for said sleeve are carried respectively by the bottom plate 23 and-a detachable top plate 36; Said top plate also forms a closure for the top of the supporting frame.

-A bevel gear 31 having a hub 38 is loosely mounted beneath the top plate, and is meshed with a bevel pinion-39 on a motor shaft 28. Suitable clutch means is provided to connect the gear 37 with the cutterchain sprocket, herein consisting of a toothed gear 40 fixed on the lower end -of the sleeve 33, having a shifting collar 4| thereon adapted to'be moved into and out of engagement with atoothed gear member 42 on the hub 38.

Referring now to the apparatus for collecting the cuttingsdischarged by the cutter chain [6 and discharging said cuttings at the rear end of the elevating frame ll, said elevating frame is provided with horizontally disposed walls 45, 45 at opposite sides of the cutter bar l5 and below the level thereof, which walls together with vertical side walls 46, 46 form channels extending forwardly on opposite sides of the cutter'bar in advance of the elevating frame, as is best seen in Figure 4. In one of these channels, herein shown on the left-hand side of the cutter bar along which the cuttings are brought back by the cutter chain, is telescopically mounted an extension chute 41 open at its top and front and rear ends. Said extension chute is provided with an outer side wall 48 which extends along the vertical side wall 46, and with a shorter upright inner wall 49 which extends beneath the pro"- jecting side of the cutter bar, so that the cuttings brought rearwardly from the kerf by the cutter chain It are collected in said chute. The forward end of said chute normally projectszbeyondthe front end of the bottom wall 45 and side wall 46 of the elevating frame. shoe 5!! is pivotally mounted on 21- depending stud 5| at the front end of said chute, so as to engage the mine wall while the device is in cutting position thereagainst.

In the retracted position of the extension chute 41 shown in Figures 2 and 3, its rear end terminates substantially in the turning zone of the cutter chain.

The cuttings collecting chute 41 is provided with means for yieldably extending it along the cutter bar in order to urge its front end into engagement with the mine wall while cutting. In

the form shown, the adjusting means includes a chain 55 connected between laterally projecting abutments 55 and El fixed on one side of the chute 41 adjacent the forward and rear. ends thereof. Said chain is trained over idlers' 54", 54

and thence downwardly under a sprocket 62 on a shaft 53 journaled in a housing 59. Said housing is connected at one side of the elevating v The shaft.

frame by projecting brackets 60, 6B. 58 extends through saidhousing so its outer-end can be rotated by means of a suitable handle", not shown, detachably connected thereto. Within the housing is a coil spring 6| having one: end

fixed to the shaft 58 and the other end anchored within the housing, as shown in Figure 5. The coil spring M is normally placed under slight tension so as to tend to urge the extension chute outwardly into engagement with the mine wall, but permitting it to be retracted manuallyby rotating the shaft 58, when desired. I

The. cuttings which are carried rearwardly along the chute 41 by the cutter chain during operation of the machine are discharged upon the bottom plate 45 and from thence upon the conveyer 6'! at a suitable delivery point, herein along a cutaway ledge 65 disposed Within the orbit of the cutter chain It as it passes around the cutter chain sprocket 39, as shown in Figure 2.

A flight conveyer, indicated generally at B1, is mounted on the top of the machine to the rear of the cutting mechanism, said conveyer being carried on a frame 68 which is pivotally mounted to swing about a transverse axis at its forward end, as is best indicated in Figure 1. In the form shown, the conveyer frame 68 includes a pair of elongated upright side frame members 69, B9, and a bottom plate in, forming a channel for an endless flight conveyer of well known type and construction, trained over sprocket shafts H and 12 at front and rear ends, respectively, of said conveyer. In the present instance the front sprocket shaft H is preferably extended through journal bearings 13, 13 on the underside of the bottomplates 45, 45 of the elevating frame, so as to form the pivotal support for the-front end of the conveyer frame as a whole; (See Figure A laterally widened 8.) The sprocket shaft H is driven from the cutter drive mechanism within the supporting frame, as will presently be described.

The front conveyer shaft H is disposed immediately below the discharge ledge 65 of the elevating frame, so that the cuttings brought back by the cutter chain will be deposited directly upon the flight conveyer and be carried away for final discharge over the rear of the machine. The swinging rear end of the conveyer is supported on a pair of longitudinally telescopic legs 15, 15, which are pivotally connected to a ground-em gaging shoe (6, which herein forms an extension of the rear end of the machine frame. The legs 15,15 each consist, of lapped leg portions 15a, 15b. The bottom portions 151) may be cross-supported by braces 11, as shown. The telescopic portions 15a, 15a of the legs can be adjusted relative to each other by any suitable means, such as bolts 18,18, which can be interchangeably disposed in a pluralityof holes 19 formed along said leg portions. By such telescopic adjustment of the legs, the rear end of the conveyer can be moved to a plurality of positions for discharge of the" cuttings on the floor, or in more elevated position for discharge on a cross conveyer or mine car, or the like.

The driving connection for the rear flight conveyer 61 comprises a gear 80, fixed on the lower end of the cutter chain sprocket sleeve 3|, and meshed-with a gear 8| on an upright stub shaft 82. Said stub shaft is journaled on a bracket 83 projecting at one side of the sprocket sleeve hearing, as shown in Figure 4. A bevel gear 84 on the upper-end of said stub shaft meshes with a bevel gear on a transverse shaft 85. The latter shaft has a sprocket 86 on its outer end which is connected by a chain 8'! to a sprocket 88 on the conveyer shaft H, thus completing the driving connection to the rear conveyer E8. The arrangement just described is such that the rear flight conveyer is driven whenever the cutter chain is in operation.

The elevating frame is adjusted vertically as a whole relative to the supporting frame, by means of a jack indicated generally at 90. In the form shown, said jack comprises a casing 9| mounted on the top plate 38 and at the front end of the supporting frame. A worm gear 92 is mounted in said casing, and has threaded engagement with a threaded shaft 93' having its upper end pivotally connected to a bracket 94 on the bottom of the elevating frame, as shown in Figure 3. The worm gear 92 may be manually rotated by a worm 95 having a hand wheel of the usual form (not shown) connected thereto.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction thereof and the arrangement'of the various parts may be altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be construed as limiting my invention to'the specific embodiment illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a mining machine, a machine body slidable on the mine bottom, including a motor and flexible feeding mechanism driven thereby, cutting mechanism disposed in front of said motor and driven thereby, including a horizontally disposed cutter chain-carrying cutter bar disposed in a plane above said machine body, cuttingscollecting means comprising a trough telescopically mounted along the side of said cutter bar for endwise engagement with the mine wall, and an endless conveyer mounted along the top of said machine body arranged to receive the cuttings from said trough and discharge them to the rear of said machine body.

2. In a mining machine, a machine body slidable on the mine bottom, including a motor and flexible feeding mechanism driven thereby, cutting mechanism disposed in front of said motor and driven thereby, including a horizontally disposed cutter chain-carrying cutter bar disposed in a plane above said machine body, cuttingscollecting means comprising a trough telescopically mounted along the side of said cutter bar for endwise engagement with the mine wall, means for elevating said cutter bar and trough body relative to said machine body to out at a plurality of planes above the latter, and an endless conveyer mounted, along the top of said machine body arranged to receive the cuttings from said trough and discharge them to the rear of said machine body.

3. In a mining machine, a machine body slidable on the mine bottom, including a motor and flexible feeding mechanism driven thereby, cutting mechanism disposed in front of said motor and driven thereby, including a horizontally disposed cutter chain-carrying cutter bar disposed in a plane above said machine body, cuttingscollecting means comprising a supporting trough projecting forwardly below said cutter bar for a portion of the length of said cutter bar and having its rear end terminating in the turning area of said cutter chain at the rear of said cutter bar, a second trough telescopically mounted in said supporting trough for yieldable engagement with the mine wall, and an endless conveyer mounted along the top of said machine body arranged to receive the cuttings from said trough and discharge them to the rear of said machine body.

4. In a mining machine, a machine body slidable on the mine bottom, including a motor and flexible feeding mechanism driven thereby, cutting mechanism disposed in front of said motor and driven thereby, including a horizontally disposed cutter chain-carrying cutter bar disposed in a plane above said machine body, cuttingscollecting means comprising a supporting trough projecting forwardly below said cutter bar for a portion of the length of said cutter bar and having its rear end terminating in the turning area of said cutter chain at the rear of said cutter bar, a second trough telescopically mounted in said supporting trough for yieldable engagement with the mine wall, and an endless conveyer mounted along the top of said machine body arranged to receive the cuttings from said trough and discharge them to the rear of said machine body, the front end of said conveyer being pivotally mounted on a transverse axis below the rear end of said trough, and the rear end of said conveyer being adjustably supported to discharge the cuttingsat various levels at the rear of said machine frame.

5. In a mining machine, a machine body slidable on the mine bottom, including a motor, flexible feeding mechanism at the rear of said motor and driven thereby, and a sup-porting frame disposed in ground-engaging alignment in-front of said motor, an elevating frame disposed above said supporting frame guide means affording vertical adjustment of said elevating frame relative to said supporting frame, a horizontally disposed, forwardly projecting chain cutter bar carried by said supporting frame and adjustable therewith in a plurality of horizontal cutting planes, cuttings-collecting means comprising a trough telescopically mounted along the side of said cutter bar for endwise engagement with the mine Wall, and an endless conveyer having its forward end disposed in cuttings-receiving relation at the rear end of said cutter bar and extending rearwardly over said motor and feeding mechanism for discharge at the rear of the machine body.

THOMAS E. PRAY. 

